Thursday, October 31, 2013

FANGASM: FINAL FANDOM

﻿The final episode of Fangasm aired at midnight on Tuesday, October22. Midnight is the end of one day and the beginning of the next,which is a decent metaphor for this episode.

The finale focused on the launch party for Stan Lee’s Comikaze andthe last chance for the seven interns to impress company CEO ReginaCarpinelli before she made her decision as to which intern would beoffered a full-time position. From where I sat, every one of theinterns stepped up to get the party set up and to make sure it ransmoothly. The only blip was that the party started a little late,but I blame that on the show’s producers manufacturing phony dramaby giving the interns a ridiculously tight deadline. They shouldhave been prepping the party area from the start of the day and notmere hours before its start.

The most impressive interns were Dani Snow and Sal Fringo. Givena chance to party at the party, Dani kept her eye on the Tardis andthe guest gifts contained within. Sal shone on two occasions, thefirst when he figured out how to change a tire and the second whenhe figured out where a missing piece of equipment was and made sureit got to the party on time.

Molly McIsaac was a dynamo of energy, albeit a little pushy. PaulPerkins didn’t stand up for himself during a dispute about how toplace party elements, even though he had experience with partiesof this nature. Andrew Duvall, Kristin Hackett and Mike Reed allworked hard with Mike proving himself to be an effective greeterfor the event.

After the party, the interns went back to the house for their lastnight and morning there. Bittersweet moments with some drama fromMolly, some cuddling between Dani and Sal and an sense that theseseven had become friends through this shared experience. The nextday would be their last at Comikaze and they would learn which ofthem would be offered a full-time job with the company.

Before I get into that part of the show, I want to talk a bit aboutMolly. She hasn’t come off well in these commentaries of mine, butI got the feeling she wasn’t well liked by the show producers...andthat they tried to show her in the worst light whenever possible.That anti-Molly vibe is definitely present in the episode summaries found on the Syfy Channel website. Maybe she is as hard to take asshe appeared on the show, but she was clearly passionate about mostof the work and, in her own, perhaps sometimes misguided way, triedto push herself to be the best intern.

Regina does an individual interview with each of the interns. Daniis first up. For most of the series, she’s been the one I thoughtwas the best of the bunch. She’s personable, hard-working, readyto learn and not overly distracted by celebrities. When asked whoshould get the job if she doesn’t, Dani names Kristin.

Sal started out as a goofball, but he improved considerably by theend of the series. He needs to spruce up his attire - says the oldguy who works in his pajamas - but I think he’d have been a decenthire. His choice for the job: Dani.

Kristin describes herself as organized and driven. I think if shehad been able to come out from Molly’s shadow more and show off herstrengths, I would have rated her higher. If Regina had a secondopening, Kristin would get my vote. Her choice: Molly.

Mike, Andrew, and Paul aren’t particularly impressive in the one-on-one. Paul mentions his attention to quality in the work he haddone and I think it’s a plus. But he had some social awkwardnessaround some celebrities and I think that hurt his chances. Theirpicks for the job, respectively, were Molly, Dani or Paul, and, ofcourse, Kristin. I think the interns got to see more of Kristin’sabilities than the viewers did.

Molly was the last interview and, unfortunately, didn’t handle itwell. She bad-mouthed the other interns, though Regina saw herselfin Molly. Her choice for the job: Dani.

Regina picks Dani, which I think was the right call. Molly wantedthe job badly and reacts emotionally, though I think she was gladfor Dani. I also think Molly is determined to make the most out ofthe next opportunity that comes her way...and I don’t doubt therewill be a next opportunity.

I want nothing but the best for all these young people. I laughedout loud at the little we were shown of Andrew’s standup routine.I’ll repeat my early suggestion that Syfy put together some sort of“Comedians of Fandom” special with comics doing routines based oncomics, anime, cosplay and the like.

Molly and Dani both had swell ideas for comic-book heroines and Ihope they pursue those projects. Mike’s teen mom super-hero wouldmake for a good comic book if he could come up with some originalstuff around the concept.

I hope Sal pursues his love of building props and such. I see himas a better fit in the workshop than in an office.

I don’t have any specific notions for Kristin, Mike and Paul, butI wish them the best in their future endeavors.

At the end of the day, or, as it turns out, the series, I like allseven interns. I’d be happy to meet them at a convention down theroad and I hope they keep viewers informed on their post-Comikazelives. As Stan Lee would say...excelsior!

2 comments:

I'm really glad that Dani got the position, since she has been my favorite since the earliest episodes. You may be right about Molly, but you have to wonder what the show's crew saw that made them portray her in such a light. Now that Stan's 1st show is history I doubt that there will be a sequel, especially given the way that SyFy all but buried the last couple of episodes.